The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-19
ALONG TIME RETURNING.
A Boy Sent on an Errand Returns
Nine Years After With the Goods.
Fronl IA Pndncnh Mema.

From the Pddncah Ne5Us.
Just nine years ago ON May-day morn.
ing from a farm house on the bank Of the
Ohio, few miles above the city of Padu-
cab, boy of 16 was sent by his mother to
| town for some household supplies "a dollars
worth of sugar and coffee. The incident Of
Itself Is nothing; it occurs scores of times in
the life of every farmer boy; but thereby
hangs tale, of which DeFoe could have
written a volume, and which, woven
into novel, would be of intense interest
to the youthful readers of the half-dime
libraries.
If the family to which this hero belonged
had waited the evening meal for his return,
the Coroner would have found s'death-by-
starvation case, and if no other messenger
was sent for the articles the hum of the cof-
fee mill and the singing Of the kettle would
| have not been heard in that house all these
many days.
| The boy was of rowing disposition: was
Bohemian by nature, and, fired with the
hlghly-colored stories of life in the far West,
| has errand for sugar and coffee ended in
nine years search for fame and fortune be-
! yond the Rockies. Coming TO town that
day, he disappeared as utterly as though
| the earth had opened and swallowed him iip.
Not trace of him could be found, not u
word could be heard, and after DAYS Of
anxiety had heightened into months Of sor-
row, and months had measured years, with
out tidlngs. the grief and pain grew into the
apathy of despair, and the mother let long
ing die, and thought of him as having
crossed the dark river to join the countless
crowd on the father shore.
The boy went West. Sometimes fortune
smiled upon him and left him happy and
hopeful; sometimes luck went by on the
other side, and he sighed for the rest of
home. Sometimes he dined on plenty sonle-
times the dinner table was a stranger Some
times his raiment was of fine linen and fair
to look upon; at other times, through the
| rents in the rags that covered his back not
u sign of shirt could be seen, and the cold,
cutting winds of the middle of December
played gleeful game with the spots where
the shirt ought TO have been. The world
was great deal larger, great deal colder,
and a great deal less inclined to encourages
youthful aspirations than he had ever
imagined. Years of experience robbed him
of the arrogance of youth, and taught him
the truth that the four-leafed shamrock Of
future grows just, as luxuriantly at home,
and the glitter of gold is just as bright,
when seen by ones own hearth-stone.
Wearying at last of the struggle he deter
mined to return. He reached Paducah nine
years from the day he left home. The
steamer RGaa was III port, and he tarried in
the city only long enough TO purchase the
sugar and coffee Tor which he had been sent
so long before and took passage When
the boat rounded in at his landing he was in
the pilot-house and saw his mother stand
ing at the gate looking at the boat and
wondering no doubt who could be coming.
He went ashore and walked up TO the gate.
| She did not seem to know him, and, as he
advanced, retreated toward the house. He
came nearer, nearer until she could see every
line and lineament of his face. Then did
she recognize hims Ask any mother who
has had son go out from her sight into the
world and in after wears come back to her
with the stamp of age upon him; ask
any mother if that one whom she
has nursed and nurtured through the tot
tering days of babyhood and watched grow
tall and strong and proud could be forgotten;
ask any mother who, as she reads this, looks
up and smiles on some fair boyish form and
| knows in her heart no time could alter those
| features 80 that she could not see in them
| something of her own. Ask these. What
passed between the mother and son we do
not know, and if we did il would not find
place in these columns: for what tongue can
tell or pen portray the feeling each must
have had when they stood face to face; he,
bearded and brawny, sun-tanned and tawny;
she old and wrinkled, but his mother. We
| know not what words they said, what tears
they shed; but we venture this, that IL on
the farm there was one yearling just little
fatter than all the rest, that calf never saw
daylight again, and when the feast was
spread the first line on the bill OF fare was
| sEsIlgar and coffee y